Na de val: op zoek naar democratie in een veranderende wereld

Acht Jahre lang sah Ben Rhodes fast alles, was im Herzen von Barack Obamas Präsidentschaft passierte. In seinem rasant geschriebenen, aufrichtigen, klugen Buch berichtet er, was hinter den Kulissen wirklich geschah. Es ist die Erzählung von einem Ausnahmepolitiker, dessen Idealismus die Welt im Sturm eroberte, auf die Härten der Realität stieß, sich anpassen musste und trotzdem überlebte. <BR>Mit 29 Jahren und einem Sack voll Hoffnung stößt Ben Rhodes 2007 zum Team von Barack Obama und wird zu einem seiner engsten Vertrauten. Er ist mitten drin, als das Atomabkommen mit dem Iran ausgehandelt wird, als die Annäherung an Kuba eingeleitet wird, als die Entscheidung fällt, in Syrien nicht zu intervenieren, und als die Wahl von Donald Trump das Projekt Obama jäh beendet. Ben Rhodes schildert grandios die Dramen dieser Präsidentschaft, die Konflikte, in die Obama geriet, und die Grenzen des Machbaren, auf die er traf - selten hat man einen so intimen, luziden Einblick in die inneren Gesetze der Politik bekommen. Wir sehen Barack Obama aus nächster Nähe, mit seiner großen Persönlichkeit, seinem scharfen Verstand, seinen Träumen und Zweifeln, seinem Charisma und Charme. Ein einzigartiges Zeitdokument und ein Lehrstück darüber, was in der Politik möglich ist.

** THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER **All We Say is the story of the United States through fifteen speeches - some iconic, others long forgotten, all pivotal - from its founding to the intense divisions of our times, from one of President Obama's former speechwriters.'A learned and excellently sane book' - Sam Leith, Daily Telegraph (5 Stars)'Wonderful - fascinating, thought-provoking and full of insights. Essential reading' - Justin WebFor 250 years, America has debated what it means to be American. The question shaped the compromises in the Constitution and the arguments they've had ever since, spawning abolitionism, secession and civil war; populism, mass migration and global leadership; movements for reform and the backlashes to them.Through riveting accounts of the people, movements and moments that produced these speeches, Rhodes traces the history of America's battle over identity. The result is a singular and revealing portrait of the United States: a nation divided between two stories - one of inheritance, power, and exclusion, the other of equality, striving, and belonging.Drawing on a decade writing for Barack Obama, Rhodes also reveals how words can redirect a nation, what makes a speech enduring, and why oratory is a unique form of persuasion in a democracy.These speeches remind us that history is a living argument. At a time when American identity - and truth - is contested, All We Say offers a fresh and powerful look at who America really is, and who it could still become.'Ben Rhodes reminds us what American greatness actually sounds like, and what it means' - Ayad Akhtar

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Vital reading for Americans and people anywhere who seek to understand what is happening ‘after the fall’ of the global system created by the United States” (New York Journal of Books), from the former White House aide, close confidant to President Barack Obama, and author of The World as It Is <BR>  <BR>At a time when democracy in the United States is endangered as never before, Ben Rhodes spent years traveling the world to understand why. He visited dozens of countries, meeting with politicians and activists confronting the same nationalism and authoritarianism that are tearing America apart. Along the way, he discusses the growing authoritarianism of Vladimir Putin, and his aggression towards Ukraine, with the foremost opposition leader in Russia, who was subsequently poisoned and imprisoned; he profiled Hong Kong protesters who saw their movement snuffed out by China under Xi Jinping; and America itself reached the precipice of losing democracy before giving itself a fragile second chance. <BR><BR>The characters and issues that Rhodes illuminates paint a picture that shows us where we are today—from Barack Obama to a rising generation of international leaders; from the authoritarian playbook endangering democracy to the flood of disinformation enabling authoritarianism. Ultimately, Rhodes writes personally and powerfully about finding hope in the belief that looking squarely at where America has gone wrong can make clear how essential it is to fight for what America is supposed to be, for our own country and the entire world.

'One of the most compelling stories I've seen about what it's actually like to serve the American people' BARACK OBAMA<BR><BR><BR> A revelatory, behind-the-scenes account of the Obama presidency and a political memoir about the power of words to change our world<BR><BR><BR> This is a book about two people making the most important decisions in the world. One is Barack Obama. The other is Ben Rhodes.<BR><BR> A young writer and Washington outsider, Rhodes was plucked from obscurity aged 29. For nearly ten years, he was at the centre of the Obama Administration - first as a speech-writer, then a policy maker, and finally a close collaborator.<BR><BR> Here, Rhodes tells the full story of his partnership - and, ultimately, friendship - with a historic president. From the early days of the Obama campaign to the final hours in the Oval Office, he puts us in the room at the most tense and poignant moments in recent history.<BR> <BR> 'Vivid, lucid, enjoyable... A compelling account of life in the Obama White House'<BR> Justin Webb, The Times<BR><BR> 'A stylish, beautifully written political memoir'<BR> Colum McCann